Outlet supporting device



Nov. 30, 1965 w. J. ROONEY 3,221,287

OUTLET SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 23. 1962 INVENTOR United StatesPatent Ofifice 3,221,287 Patented Nov. 30, 1965 3,221,287 OUTLETSUPPORTING DEVICE William J. Rooney, P.O. Box 264, Phillipsburg, NJ.Filed Nov. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 239,502 3 Claims. (Cl. 33928) Thisinvention relates to an improved support for an electrical outlet, andthe object of my present invention is to provide a support on which theelectrical wire may be wound and unwound, and to provide a wallconnecting arm which can be reversed on the supporting post for right orleft wall mounting or connecting.

Another object of the invention is to provide a support for anelectrical outlet, having a blade on its lower end to engage the basewall board and a blade on its upper end which is pivotally mountedthereon to engage elevated woodwork of the room or wall on which thedevice is to be used, which is provided with a stop to engage a brad orpin driven into the woodwork, so that the upper supporting or connectingblade will not pull out of its inserted position when a manual pull isimposed on the outlet carried by the supporting post, when a vacuumcleaner, electrical drill or other appliance is electrically connectedwith this outlet by a common push plug.

Another object of the invention is to provide an upper connecting bladewith oppositely deflected spring fingers adapted to grip the engagedwoodwork and the adjacent part of wall, so that the upper blade willresist displacement when a cord pull is imposed on the supporting post.

With the above and other objects in view the invention relates tocertain new and useful combinations and arrangements of parts, fullyshown in the accompanying drawings, and described and claimed in thefollowing specification thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation.

FIG. 2 is an edge view, showing the electrical cord wound on thesupporting post.

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view, taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1, lookingin the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a detail rear end elevation, showing the upper blade foldedagainst the flat post.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation showing the outlet support connected inservice relation to a wall, with the electrical wire wound thereon.

FIG. 6 is a detail side elevation, enlarged, of the upper blade, showingthe use of spring fingers thereon.

FIG. 7 is an edge view thereof, showing the divergence of the springfingers.

FIG. 8 is another similar edge view, showing how the spring fingers areforced into a common plane by manual pressure.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the upper blade, showing an edge pinengaging stop to prevent displacement of the upper blade from itsholding position on the wall.

Referring to the accompanying drawings showing the practical embodimentof my invention, 10 designates a supporting post, which is formed withparallel side edges 10a, which are rounded, as shown in FIG. 3. On thelower end of this post a metal blade 11 is mounted by means of the rivetor fastener 12. This blade is formed with a tapered lower end 11a, and alateral intermediate portion 11b, which abuts against the lower end ofthe post 10, and supports the post outwardly of a wall, when the taperedlower end of the blade is inserted between the base wall board 14 andthe wall 15; the blade being secured against pivotal movement by theengagement of the lateral portion 11!) with the right angular end of thepost 10.

The post 10 is provided on its upper end with a blade 16, which ispivotally secured thereto by the rivet or fastener 17. This blade has anintermediate offset portion 16a and a tapered end portion 16b. Theintermediate or offset portion 16a serves to space the supporting post10 outwardly of the wall 15.

On the post 10 a conventional electrical outlet 18 is mounted, which isshown to be provided with a plurality of paired prong receiving slots18a, and is also provided with an electrical conductor cord 20, having aconventional plug 19, designed to be connected electrically with aremote electrical outlet of the house wiring system. The receiving plugof the service cord of any electrical appliance, radio, heater,television, drill or any other appliance, such as a vacuum cleaner, maythen be connected with the outlet 18, which receives its current supplythrough the remote outlet and the cord 20.

When the electrical cord is not in service use, it may be wound on thesupporting post, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. Any number of additionalelectrical cords may be connected with outlet, within its capacity.

To secure the upper blade 16 against accidental displacement from thewall position, where the tapered end of the blade is inserted betweenthe woodwork 15a and the wall 15, I provide a V-shaped hook stop on eachlongitudinal edge of the blade, which is adapted to engage a brad orsteel pin 16d, driven into the woodwork 15a, as shown in FIG. 5. When astrong pull is imposed on the extended cord 20, as in the movement of avacuum cleaner or other electrical appliance, the engagement by thisedge stop with the steel pin or brad 16d will prevent accidentalwithdrawal of the inserted blade 16 from its wall position.

The V-shaped notch causes the blade to move closer to the pin and thusmaintain the blade locked to it.

Another form of the invention is to provide on the insertible upperblade 16, three spring fingers 21, 22 and 23. The intermediaate orcentral spring finger 22 is displaced toward one side of the blade 16and the outer fingers 21 and 23 are displaced toward the opposite sideof the blade, as shown in FIG. 7. The inner end of each spring finger isformed with an ofiset spring loop 24. By pressing these spring fingersso that they are disposed in a common plane, as shown in FIG. 8, the endof the blade may be inserted between the wall and the woodwork. Theouter end of each spring finger may be provided with a lateral tooth orstop 25, intended to resist accidental displacement. When the springfingers are inserted between a wall and woodwork, they will be springpressed in opposite directions, to clutch the wall and woodwork, andthis will increase the resistance to accidental displacement.

The present invention is an improvement of the invention shown in myPatent 2,907,974, granted October 5, 1959.

Having described my invention, I claim as patentable:

1. In combination, a wall having a base and an upright member attachedthereto and providing narrow spaces between themselves and the wall, apin extending into the upright member across the space between itselfand the wall, a post, a blade rigidly mounted on the lower end of thepost and having an outer end portion which is otfset from the post andwhich is insertible in the space between the base member and the wall tospace the lower end of the post outwardly from the wall, a bladepivotally mounted on the upper end of the post and having an outer endportion which is offset from the post and which is insertible in thespace between the upright member and the wall and provided on one edgewith a notch to lockingly engage the pin and prevent accidentaldisplacement of the second-named blade and position on the wall, saidsecond-named blade being formed with a plurality of longitudinal springfingers, two outer spring fingers being deflected to one side of theblade and provided with terminal stops to engage the wall and the bladehaving an intermediate spring finger deflected in the opposite directionto engage the upright member, said last-named blade having a V-shapednotch on its lower edge to engage the pin, an electrical outlet mountedon said post, and an electrical cord havwall and adapted to be usable tothe right or to the left of the post when so inserted, a blade mountedagainst pivotal movement on the lower end of the post and provided withan offset lower end portion insertible between the base board of a walland the wall, an electrical outlet mounted on the post and provided witha flexible electrical cord and a push and pull electrical plugconnectable to another electrical outlet located remotely from the post,the upper metal blade having an edge stop engageable with a pin driveninto said woodwork and Wall, whereby said blade will resist displacementfrom the wall and woodwork when the cord is manually pulled.

3. A shiftable electrical outlet device, comprising a post, a metalblade pivotally mounted on the upper end of the post and provided wit-han offset end portion insertable between a Wall and woodwork attachedthereto and adapted to be reversed on the post to permit of right andleft handed connection with the wall and woodwork, a blade mounted onthe lower end of the post and provided with an offset lower end adaptedto be driven between a wall and a baseboard attached thereto, a pindriven into the woodwork and wall, the upper blade having a plurality oflongitudinal spring fingers disposed in opposite directions to eachother, and one of said fingers having an outer edge with a stop ofV-shaped construction adapted to engage said pin when said blade isinserted between the woodwork and the wall, an outlet device attached tothe post and provided with an electrical cord having circuit connectionswith said outlet device and provided with a push and pull electricalplug adapted to establish electrical conductive connection with anelectrical unit disposed remotely of the post, the upper metal bladehaving its edge stop engaged with the wall pin, whereby a manual pull onsaid cord will be resisted by said stop and pin.

References Cited by the Examiner JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary ExaminerTHOMAS J. HICKEY, Examiner.

2. A SHIFTABLE ELECTRICAL OUTLET DEVICE, COMPRISING A POST, A METALBLADE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE UPPER END OF THE POST AND PROVIDED WITHAN OFFSET END PORTION INSERTIBLE BETWEEN A WALL AND WOODWORK ATTACHED TOTHE WALL AND ADAPTED TO BE USABLE TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT OF THEPOST WHEN SO INSERTED, A BLADE MOUNTED AGAINST PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ON THELOWER END OF THE POST AND PROVIDED WITH AN OFFSET LOWER END PORTIONINSERTIBLE BETWEEN THE BASE BOARD OF A WALL AND THE WALL, AN ELECTRICALOUTLET MOUNTED ON THE POST AND PROVIDED WITH A FLEXIBLE ELECTRICAL CORDAND A PUSH AND PULL ELECTRICAL PLUG CONNECTABLE TO ANOTHER ELECTRICALOUTLET LOCATED REMOTELY FROM THE POST, THE UPPER METAL BLADE HAVING ANEDGE STOP ENGAGEABLE WITH A PIN DRIVEN INTO SAID WOODWORK AND WALL,WHEREBY SAID BLADE WILL RESIST DISPLACEMENT FROM THE WALL AND WOODWORKWHEN THE CORD IS MANUALLY PULLED.